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Friday, August 22, 2014

Like the valiant little tailor, three with one blow

Camera in hand I left after lunch to take some pictures for
my Boston Pictures page on the township website. What with my mean-spirited
attitude and all, that hasn't topped the list this month. On the other hand,
half way through my week at Ann’s we were laughing at the ludicrousness of the
accusation, and before I was home the whole affair was filed in “Not my
monkeys, not my zoo.”

Right on the front side walk I stopped for a garden
picture. I hope I have not been too disgusting with my flowers this summer; but
the garden is shaping up in my mind and in fact. Once again I have a couple of
garden questions to throw out to the universe, and I believe I’ll do that
first. Next week is soon enough for township
hints of fall, Nina’s garden, Nina’s arboretum, flowers on the bridge pictures
from this afternoon. That may be five with one blow. Quite valiant.

My first picture is of the August lily from my brother
Walt’s house this summer. Actually, Mark’s house, but he won’t be offended
we’ll always use his dad’s name. Big as a bushel basket when we put it in, it’s
bigger than a wash tub now. The blossoms are just starting, and good thing, as
we’re talking last week of August here.

I took the plants from the funeral baskets and put them in
the garden. Most are annuals or house plants, but we have exactly enough of
those to take care of, so I put these out to enjoy the rest of the summer. I put
an ivy into a bed I intend to fill with ivy, leading to my question to the
universe. Is this ivy a perennial? It’s solid green, that’s all I know. If not,
it will just go out with the summer.

Last question: what do I have in this hanging basket,
clockwise from the purple flowers? Let’s just call them 1) the purple flowers, 2)
the pinks, 3) the ivy, 4) and orangish flower, 5) a short grass, 6) a kind of
ground cover.

The purple flowers, alas, are annual. The pinks I can
transplant this fall. The ivy can be transplanted to the new ivy bed. The
orangish flower will go the way of the purple flower. The short grass can be
transplanted to the garden. The bushy ground cover? I’ll just find a spot for
it in the garden and see what happens. What do you think?

A totally gratuitous picture, but, have I mentioned how much I love wooly thyme. This is the garden end under the oak tree; anemone blossoms in spring, fall blooming crocus due to pop up any time, and my lovely little wooly thyme about a third of the way to covering the whole area.

Ivy is indeed a perennial - here anyway. Not only a perennial but a triffid with plans for world domination.Love the thyme.Your purple flowers are petunias. Sadly, squint as I might I can't positively identify the others.

Perennials are determined by the zone you live it. Many of the annuals up north are perennials in the south. Petunias and Callie's are annuals everywhere, I think. The pink plant looks like Dianthus, and it is a perennial. Some grasses are annuals, others are perennials, depending on where you live. I buy some red grasses every year because they are showy and interesting. However, at the end of October, they go in the compost heap and live again in the form of wonderful black dirt. If you are not sure if a plant can last in your winter, you can always take the chance and leave it outside and let Mother Nature decide. I bring some plants inside (Hibiscus, Alstroemeria) and put them in the basement near a window. I tend to only water them 2xs a month, if that, and have an attitude that the strong will survive. So far, I have been lucky. I hope you are the same.

I'm trying to remember what it is about hostas that I dislike.... they're not like gladolias which remind me of my little brother's funeral... but for the life of me, I don't know why.... Nothing to do with the hostas... but.... so many times when I read your blog I just shake my head in admiration and just KNOW you have "best seller" in your thoughts and in your head.... a true "story teller".

You don't sound like you are wound nearly as tightly as before that vacation, which is a Very Good Thing, Joanne! Well done with the relaxation and finding perspective. Some people never get there, while I believe you did it in record time.

Your flowers are gorgeous. Wish I could help with the names but the only one I know is the petunia (purple).

Dear Joanne, oh, my first comment vanished while typing! So. the purple flower is petunia (1 year), the orange might be daliah (take the tubes out in autumn, then plant them next year again), if can see it right. What I cannot detect is your ivy? (But that might be because it might be an American kind with very small long leaves?) Normally ivy is growing on and on. In Germany the fairy tale has a tailor who cries out: "Seven with one blow!" (seems Germans brag more :)